BuaNews (Tshwane)
Edwin Tshivhidzo
23 April 2008
Pretoria — A 10-member advisory body aimed at providing expert and strategic advice to government on Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) was unveiled on Tuesday.
The Ministerial Advisory Committee on IKS was conceived to support the National IKS Office (NIKSO) which is responsible for advising Science and Technology Minister Mosibudi Mangena on strategic issues. Some of these issues include protection, recognition, affirmation, development and the promotion of IKS in the country. The primary functions of the committee will be to provide a critical assessment of the extent to which the NIKSO carries out its mandate, including implementing IKS policy in line with the department's mandate.
Launching the committee, Mr Mangena said the team will promote knowledge development and knowledge management. "There is no denying the fact that the knowledge of individuals and the collective knowledge of communities are the only real time competitive advantages that any country can rely upon. "Given our diversity and the varying levels of economic and social development, the technological needs of our country are also diverse," the minister said. The challenge, he said is to synergise actions in terms of Indigenous and Universal knowledge so that knowledge generation and utilisation benefits all segments of society without causing disparities or lopsided development.
"We need to position ourselves cleverly by developing an equitable legislative framework that protects this untapped knowledge system to enable us to compete in the global market," the minister said. The change in the curricula and the introduction of degrees in IKS will usher into the market place new and unique graduates specialising in indigenous knowledge which is a multi-disciplinary field.
"At the moment our local indigenous communities are already beginning to measure the accomplishments of this committee," he said. The minister said he was impressed to note that good work is currently being undertaken by the department, Centres of Excellence, which include the Universities of North West, Venda and Limpopo SAQA in conjuring a fully developed graduate programme of IKS at universities.
He said the committee will commit to building strong ties with local and indigenous communities, their leadership, elders and knowledge holders and practitioners.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 BuaNews. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
